Not So Ancient History
by ThePurpleRose
Summary: It was foolproof. Raine would give them a cure for mana exhaustion and they would provide her with the knowledge of the ancient world. But when it fails, the group is left to care for two ancient beings, who aren't quite so ancient any more...
1. The Renegade Base Disaster

**AN: I know I should probably stop uploading new stories when I've got so many unfinished ones already uploaded, but I've nearly finished ****The Caravan of Eragon****, and my ToS Christmas fic, ****A Martelmas To Remember****, so I thought, 'Why not?' I've had this chapter scrawled out in my notebook for a while.**

**I'll also be uploading an oyako one-shot soon enough, also scrawled in the notebook, and I've got plans for a selection of oyako one-shots to upload. 'Cause we could all do with a little more father/son fluff...**

**But yeah, this is just a bit of fun really, so I hope you all like it!**

**It's set just after the restoration of the worlds and doesn't include the second game. Oh, and it's slightly AU, as Kratos was delayed in leaving and so didn't go.**

_**Disclaimer: I'm not the owner of ToS... I don't even own a copy of the game...**_

* * *

A mug was knocked to the floor, falling with a resounding crash that would have caused the room's occupants to flinch if it wasn't for the all-encompassing confusion and jumble of overlapping, near indiscernible sounds, all caused by the experimental procedures of a certain half-elf.

"Professor, what-"

"Hahahahaha!"

"How did this happen?"

"Is it permanent?"

"Raine, what do we do?"

"-ahahahaha-"

"I – just let me think."

"But, professor-"

"-ahahahahaha-"

"Lloyd, have some patience!"

"Professor, Yuan's escaping."

"Not now, Colette."

"-ahahahahaha-"

"But-"

"It's alright, Colette."

"Put me down! You- you-"

"QUIET!"

The bustle of noise abruptly stopped at the yell from the stern professor. All eyes snapped to Raine, Sheena delivering a swift punch to Zelos' gut as the red-headed chosen continued to howl with laughter. He let out a strangled yelp as he sank to the ground but looked up at his "ultra-cool gorgeous beauty" at a foot-nudge from her brother.

Satisfied she had everyone's attention, Raine brushed back the hair from her face and began, "Obviously my remedy isn't quite perfect yet-"

Genis scoffed. "You're kidding; it's a disaster."

Without blinking, the healer promptly slapped the back of her brother's head and responded, "And I will find a cure for this too, but in the meantime, the rest of you will have to look after _them_."

With that, she turned, her lips grimly set into a straight line as she took in the sight of a small, blue-haired half-elf thrashing violently in Regal's arms and unleashing a barrage of words – some she recognised, some she didn't – that were almost definitely all words that a child his size shouldn't yet know, let alone use.

Or should know, considering that the child in question was over four thousand years old and happened to own the office, and indeed, the entire base, that they were all congregated in. All Raine had meant to do was to ease the strain on their mana after having to use it to support the roots of the new world tree after it had germinated. She was only glad she hadn't yet attempted that particular spell on Lloyd, remembering what he'd been like at fourteen, let alone half that as Yuan had now become.

She jumped as a small hand tugged at her sleeve, looking down at the other child, who had previously been none other than Kratos Aurion but who was now a seven year old with even messier hair then before.

"Can I go home soon?" he enquired quietly, his eyes immediately fixing themselves on his toes.

"Soon enough," she answered. It was truthful enough. She _did_ hope to be able to change him back soon and once he was an adult again, he would be able to take himself to wherever he would call home. "Now you go with these nice people until I can find a way to take you home," she ordered, taking the boy's hand and placing it in Sheena's

Both the ninja and the child looked slightly uncomfortable but neither made any attempts to contradict Raine's actions; the former knowing that it wasn't worth it is she valued her skull, the latter assuming the same.

"But where do we take them?" Sheena queried. "They can't stay here; it's too dangerous."

"Meltokio!" Zelos announced with a flourish. "My hunnies will be there."

Sheena slapped him, prompting Zelos to emit a sharp cry of "Not the face!" and Kratos to cringe away, though he didn't try to release her hand.

"Zelos does own the largest house," Regal begrudgingly admitted.

Genis added, "And he's got staff who probably know how to look after kids better than us."

"You aren't that much older than they are, Genis," Lloyd pointed out, though it was drowned out by Zelos' drawl of, "Yeah, my house is pretty awesome, isn't it?"

He approached Yuan, who was still ensnared in Regal's arms, continuing, "And it's big and full of awesome stuff. Bet you'll like that, won't you?"

Yuan, who had been glaring with his arms folded in a perfect impression of his adult self, kicked him in the nose.

"My beautiful face!" Zelos bemoaned, clutching at the throbbing feature. "You son of a-"

"Zelos!" Raine scolded.

"But he ruined-" the Chosen began.

Raine silenced him with a glare that would have made Kratos proud if he wasn't currently in child form and much more interested in the carpet.

"Fine," Zelos muttered, shooting the triumphant, blue-haired child an evil look. "But you're not coming to see my hunnies with me."

Yuan shrugged. "What makes you think I care?"

Zelos merely grinned, turning away from him and taking up Kratos' other hand. "You can still visit my hunnies with me," he told the little human, who looked confused.

"No!" Sheena protested, delivering yet another slap to Zelos face, which caused him to drop Kratos' hand, allowing Sheena to pull the child to her other side, shielding him from the philanderer. "I won't let you turn him into a mini womaniser! One Zelos is enough torture!"

She neatly took Kratos' other hand, glaring vehemently at the abused red-head as she patted the hair of the much sorter red-head next to her, whose eyes widened in shock.

Raine cleared her throat in an attempt to restore order. It didn't really change anything but since no-one was speaking, she was able to say, "I will go to Sybak first to research any cases similar to this. I suggest you all go to Meltokio; I'm sure Yu-" She cut off, glancing at the exultant form of Yuan, who was still smirking at Zelos, then corrected, "-the Renegades won't mind if we borrow some rheairds."

* * *

The journey to Meltokio had been surprisingly uneventful. Regal had expected to need to restrain Yuan in order to settle the little half-elf onto a rheaird, but instead, the now-child had been fascinated, asking all sorts of questions about how they worked and demanding to know what each button did during the flight, and whether he could push one.

It had been Kratos who had proved reluctant to board a rheaird, first staring at the flying machine in a wide-eyed mixture of apprehension and curiosity before being coaxed onto one by Colette and Lloyd – the latter stressing the point that it was fun while the former told him how lovely and safe it was, which led to Genis' only contribution - that if Lloyd wasn't dead yet then rheairds had to be pretty bomb-proof.

By the end of the flight, the ex-mercenary seemed to have decided that flying wasn't so bad, judging by the small smile he was hiding behind his hair as he allowed himself to be led into Zelos' house.

Sebastian arrived within moments, without even a trace of surprise on his well-trained face.

"Master Zelos," he greeted with a slight bow. "And Sir Bud." He strode over and crouched in front of Yuan, who stood with his head held high in front of Regal like he was just as tall if not taller, before looking the child in the eye and asking with a smile, "And who is this little fellow?"

The group shared glances reminiscent of rabbits in headlights but despite his frown at language, Yuan puffed out his chest and answered, "Yuan Ka-Fai."

Sebastian nodded, looking to Kratos, who was eying the butler warily, sandwiched between Colette and Sheena, and added, "And who's your friend?"

Yuan shrugged, scuffing his feet against the floor. "I don't know him," he said harshly. He looked like he might be about to add more but didn't, instead settling on an unsettled scowl towards the little human, whose eyes immediately darted to the tiled floor as he cringed away slightly behind the trailings of Sheena's bow.

"How about you tell me your name, little man?" Sebastian suggested, reaching out a hand encouragingly towards the wide-eyed child, who by now, had taken another step sideways and was peering at the butler from behind the pink material of the bow.

"Kratos, sir," he answered quietly, his eyes darting between the butler's and the carefully polished, black shoes that he wore.

"Well then, Kratos, how about you, Yuan and I go and get a snack from the kitchens?" he offered with a kind smile.

Both Kratos and Yuan sported dubious and surprised looks. Neither made any moves to go to Sebastian, only fidgeting awkwardly.

Sebastian gave a good-natured laugh. "It is not going to cost you anything."

Yuan immediately started forwards but Kratos hesitated. He studied the faces of all those around him before tentatively following the other now-child.

A scream erupted from the direction of Zelos' kitchen. It was followed almost instantly by several loud crashes, another shriek and a dull thud.

"Get it, Sarah!"

"No! You get it!"

"Coming your way!"

"Xander!"

The door behind Sebastian exploded outwards, something large, green and while accompanied by several maids and a butler piled into the room. Lloyd recognised the creature but before he could do anything, he was pipped at the post by a much younger, shriller voice.

"Noishe!" Kratos cried, his expression brightening as he launched himself towards the protozoan and hugged his neck tightly.

Noishe whined and nuzzled the boy's head, licking his cheek as he pulled away, which extracted a childish laugh from the quiet human, shocking the heroes gathered in the room.

Zelos recovered first. "Seems the kid knows the dog," he remarked to his vulture-like staff, who had encircled the protozoan. "Just let it stay. Oh, and someone make up the guest rooms for our guests. And sort out enough food for everyone."

* * *

Raine let out an impatient sigh as she remounted her rheaird and flew in the direction of Meltokio, her thoughts focussed almost entirely on the book she'd stashed in her wing-pack.

It seemed that she had been right to locate information relating to similar cases. This _had_ happened before, to a young elf many thousands of years ago. She had been lucky to find such an important resource. It was only due to an accident with a mana-converter involving the Chosen's family a further eighty years ago that it was even known. The book she had was the conclusion of the three part investigation. It had belonged to an elf, who had been studying human civilisation and had agreed to loan it to the humans in return for another study. The other parts were in the care of the Chosen and the King respectively.

Zelos probably didn't even know he had it. But Raine would be sure to rescue such a priceless volume. She would be required to return the one loaned to her by the laboratory in Sybak, but Zelos could hardly recall something from the one who had healed him – saved his life, she might add – so many times during their famous journey.

As she landed outside Meltokio, Raine released another sigh, fervently hoping that the research collected by Zelos ancestors and the court would reveal a loophole she could exploit to create a cure, praying to whatever deity had preceded Martel that the changes she'd caused were not irreversible and that she could do more for the victims of her spell than had been offered to the elf.

She didn't know how they would cope with raising a further two children.

* * *

**AN: Okay, not the best opening, I know – but it **_**does**_** get better, I assure you. Next chapter has some interaction between Kratos and Yuan, and... Altamira!**

**Any question/ suggestions? And reviews would really make my day...**

**~ThePurpleRose**


	2. The Dinner Table Trauma

**AN: Here's chapter two! It's slightly late 'cause I recently (finally) got a copy of the game and have now finished it. (It was awesome!) I've also had (and still have) coursework to do in a vast majority of my subjects and results day... But I'm still alive and writing!**

**Hope you all enjoy it!**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own ToS, however much I'd love to...**_

* * *

Kratos picked at the cake tentatively, his eyes cautiously examining Sebastian as though he was doing something naughty and expected to be punished, while Yuan devoured his cupcake as speedily as possible as though he expected the gift of cake to be retracted and thoroughly intended to get what he could from the situation before it ended. As he stuffed the last of the cupcake into his mouth, he returned to scowling at the human, whose eyes widened at the open show of hostility then retreated to the cake, unable to find the courage to rise again.

Sebastian swept the plate from in front of Yuan, regarding the silence distastefully. Setting the plate to the side, he resorted to a technique that was tried and tested, having proven never to fail at starting conversation with (or a monologue from) Zelos, when the Chosen had been young – and still worked even now. "So what has everyone done today then?" he asked.

The silence continued.

Finally, Yuan muttered, "You gave me cake."

Kratos, meanwhile, had just swallowed the last crumbs of the cupcake he'd picked apart and quietly yet sincerely thanked the butler as he whisked away the plate. It was clear to Sebastian that this was all the famed conversation starter was likely to give him.

With a sigh, he settled for a new approach, seating himself at the head of the table between the ancient children who begrudgingly had been seated opposite each other. "Perhaps, once the washing up is done and the grown-ups have finished dinner, you two can play a game," he suggested.

Neither child responded.

Clutching at straws, Sebastian added, "What is your favourite game, Yuan?"

Yuan considered this for a moment, though whether he was actually considering the question, or was instead considering whether he deemed the butler worthy of answer, Sebastian wasn't sure. But Yuan was the chattiest of the children that had been placed under his care so that their situation could be discussed by the group of heroes over dinner. Sebastian could be assured he'd get a response.

Not one to disappoint, the half-elf proclaimed, "Hide and Seek."

"I think that's a game that is better suited to the daytime," Sebastian laughed, to which Yuan pouted. He turned to Kratos, who appeared to be examining the table. "And what would be your favourite game?"

The auburn-haired human looked up uncertainly. "I don't have one," he answered, eyes searching those of the butler to gage his reaction to this revelation.

"Perhaps you will find one while you're here," Sebastian consoled, mentally searching for ways he could get the two boys to talk to each other.

Before he could say what popped into his head, the little human enquired, "When can I go home?"

Sebastian didn't know. He hadn't even been told where the children had come from, though he would accept whatever assignment thrown in his direction by the Chosen he had served since the boy's childhood. "Not just yet," he responded, opting to steer the conversation away from this grey area. "Yuan, why don't you tell Kratos about yourself? We can get to know each other a little better."

Yuan took this literally. "'Cause he's a human. He doesn't want to know me, and I don't want to know him either; I don't want to waste space in my brain for prejudiced scum like him!"

Either the half-elf hadn't noticed that Sebastian was human or had decided that anyone who provided him with food deserved to be rewarded with the benefit of the doubt, but either way, this shocked Sebastian; he hadn't expected a child to carry such social prejudices or really to know what the word 'prejudice meant. He knew Zelos hadn't until the death of his mother.

"That isn't very nice," Sebastian admonished. "You should treat others as you would wish to be treated, and it is unfair to judge those you do not know. Now apologise to Kratos."

"Why?" Yuan responded indignantly. "Guilty 'til proven innocent – that's what my step-father says. He hasn't said or done anything nice to anyone 'cept his pet monster since we met."

"Has he said or done anything nasty to anyone?" Sebastian questioned with a sharp, stern stare.

Yuan fidgeted. "No," he eventually relented.

"Then apologise," Sebastian commanded.

Yuan eyed the stack of plates that had housed their meals, drawing out the pause before irritably mumbling an insincere, "Sorry."

* * *

"... So you'll just have to look after them a little bit longer," Raine finished.

"But professor!" Lloyd whined.

Raine folded her arms, resting them on the table. She had arrived just in time to participate in dinner, after visiting the palace to find that the king and the princess were on a visit to Altamira and that none of the castle's other inhabitants had the authority to give her the book. "Well, if Zelos hadn't _lost_ that _priceless _documentation of history then maybe I could have found something tonight, but since he did..."

Her eyes turned to Zelos in total disapproval and no tiny amount of anger, the others (with the exception of Colette, who was scientifically proven to be unable to glare at a pencil without apologising profusely after much failure at squinting) following suit.

Zelos raised his hands in surrender. "I thought you of all people would be pleased I didn't let it go to waste! I lent my copy to Kate-"

"Were you trying to get in her pants?" Sheena interrogated.

"My voluptuous hunny..." Zelos began before a loud slap echoed throughout the room. Zelos began to wonder if choosing to sit next to her had been the best of ideas, despite the wonderful view it afforded him of her assets.

"It doesn't matter now, Zelos," Raine sighed. "I'll head out to Ozette first thing in the morning to get that book from Kate. I'm sure she won't mind once she knows about our situation. You'll just have to keep taking care of them until I've had time to study the scriptures."

She didn't mention the possibility that this study may turn out to be fruitless. She didn't want to face that possibility herself yet.

This didn't reassure Lloyd. "But it's weird to see Da-Kratos as a kid. I mean, he's... Well, he's..."

"Weird?" Zelos supplied, dodging another blow from Sheena to move around the table and drape one arm over the eternal swordsman. "Don't worry, Bud! It's only one day. How hard can it be?"

Genis slapped himself on the forehead. "You just had to say that didn't you, Zelos?"

"Hey, don't dispute the truth, brat!" Zelos retorted. "They're two little kids. What harm can they do with all my staff around?"

Raine shook her head scathingly but said nothing as she left the room to get some rest. She'd leave in the early hours of the morning to catch Kate before the researcher could head into the Gaorracchia Forest to research the monsters there for her current project.

A blur of blue rushed into the room, Sebastian jogging behind, dragging Kratos behind him by the wrist. The blur attempted a slide under the table, only to crash into Colette's chair, knocking chair, Chosen and child to the floor. Regal grabbed Yuan by the elbow before the miniature half-elf could attempt another mad dash away from the butler.

The calm after the storm quickly gave way to another storm as Genis realised, "Zelos, you jinxed it!"

Yuan struggled, spitting out curses as Regal maintained his hold on the half-elf, Colette attempting to laugh off the situation as Lloyd helped her up, Genis righted the chair and Zelos launched into an interrogation of Yuan which went ignored.

"SILENCE!"

The command was granted, all eyes snapping to Sebastian, the calm, composed, professional butler who most hadn't realised had retained the ability to shout like that.

"Yuan, you will apologise," he ordered.

Yuan pouted but turned to Colette and said, "Sorry lady."

"Like you mean it," the butler added with a sigh.

Yuan scowled, folding his arms and aiming another kick at Zelos, who had ventured too close for the miniature Renegade's liking. "I said I was sorry, didn't I?"

Sebastian merely quirked an eyebrow, to which Yuan lowered his gaze and mumbled, "I'm sorry, okay?"

"Good lad," Sebastian praised. "Now apologise for the rest."

Yuan promptly swore, bit down on Regal's hand and thrashed in the arms that held him, screaming in a way that could almost reach his own ancestors, be they four thousand years dead or more. Sebastian released the little human by his side before crossing the distance between himself and the situation he had inadvertently caused, leaving Kratos standing by the edge of the table. He stayed there for a minute, before deciding to move closer to the table.

Sheena started at the light tug on her ribbon, only briefly relaxing as she saw it was just Kratos before she was affected by the uneasiness spawned from the solemn look that belonged on neither this child's face, nor the face of the man he would become.

"_Please_ can I go home now?" he asked forlornly.

An awkward smile that she hoped would be at least a little reassuring spread across the ninja's cheeks. "Not just yet. Er, maybe tomorrow?" She wasn't good at this. Usually, Sheena liked children, but this wasn't a child to her; he was just too still and unnaturally quiet. He wasn't normal.

His face visibly fell. "Please?" he begged. "I need to go home."

She reached out and patted him on the head. "Maybe tomorrow," she repeated. "I'm sure your mommy won't mind."

Apparently, this wasn't the right thing to say, as the child recoiled, a horrified expression crossing his face. It was wiped away moments later though, as it seemed Yuan had finally broken free and dodged under the table to fall flat on his face at Kratos' feet. Startled, the little human reached out his hand to the half-elf, and asked, "Are you alright?"

Yuan scowled, swatting the hand away as he scrambled to his feet, and spat, "I'm fine."

Regal had grabbed his arm a moment later as Sebastian insisted, "It's bedtime. Now."

Neither now-child had anything to say about this.

"We will show you to your room," he informed them, taking in the silence.

* * *

As luck would have it, the maids had decided to place both children in the same room, a room situated between the ones housing Sheena, Colette and Presea, and Regal and Zelos, with Lloyd and Genis across the hall. Sebastian maintained that this was to ensure that adult supervision was never too far away from the two horrors unleashed on the heroes, although the walls were thick and the only person who stood a chance at hearing if anything violent occurred between Kratos and Yuan or if either decided to escape was Colette.

But as it was, violence wasn't an issue. Each child was seated on their respective beds, determinedly avoiding accepting the existence of the other. Kratos would occasionally glance at his roommate, only to receive a glare that would've melted an Easter bunny before the half-elf huffed, folded his arms, and promptly returned to glaring a hole in the wall, which he would escape to when it grew large enough, if it ever grew at all, as it seemed Zelos' walls were immune to Yuan's fury, much to the latter's annoyance.

Finally, as the moon rose outside, traversing its set path across the stars, one of them moved. Kratos deftly edged off his bed, his feet hitting the floor with a light tap. He quietly tiptoed over to the door, drawing the attention of the room's other occupant.

"Where're you going?" he muttered sullenly.

Kratos started, turning to face the half-elf he'd been sure was asleep with a wide-eyed stare. "I... I need to go home," he replied at a whisper.

"And you think they're just gonna let you escape?" Yuan scoffed.

A light of determination shone in the human's eyes. His stare didn't waver for once, his resolve absolute. He didn't say anything.

"Heh, fine," Yuan decided, leaning back on his elbows. "Do what you want; you're a human. They won't kill _you_."

Something in the sentence made Kratos hesitate. "Are you a half-elf?" he finally asked, giving in to curiosity.

"What do you think?" Yuan scoffed, tucking a piece of blue hair behind his ear in an irritated and uncomfortable manner. Now that the moonlight was bouncing off his pale skin, Kratos could see that the ear was actually slightly pointed, however round it had appeared in the daylight. But still, Kratos had to be cautious; he might be wrong. He was wrong about stuff a lot and he didn't want Yuan to be angry about it; it was enough that his father got angry about it. His father hated half-elves.

The miniature swordsman took two quiet steps nearer to the half-elf who was now sitting up on the bed.

"I think half-elves are cool," he said quietly, his eyes warily meeting Yuan's. There, his opinion was out now and if Yuan didn't like it, Kratos was closer to the door; he had a head-start on the blue-haired boy.

"Heh, no, you don't," Yuan stated bitterly, leaning back onto the headboard. "Humans never do. Everyone hates half-elves. That's why half-elves look out for each other – 'cause no-one else will. Everyone knows that."

"That's not fair," Kratos responded, wavering between returning to his bed and leaving the room, his curiosity interfering with his sense of duty. "Everyone's different. There are bad people and good people in every race."

"Yeah? Well name a good human," Yuan challenged.

"Mr Sebastian's nice," Kratos stated.

Yuan scoffed again. "You're biased, and you're naive. He's nice to you 'cause you're human, but he's only nice to me 'cause the guy in pink told him to be. And _he's_ only being nice 'cause he wants something. That's how people are. You've just gotta know how to play them so you can get something _you_ want."

"That's not fair either," Kratos protested in a small voice. "Mother doesn't ask me to do anything but she still loves me and she made me a jumper. And my sister doesn't want anything from me either, but she sometimes does some of my chores for me."

"You're a human; people don't hate you," Yuan argued.

"Yes, they do," Kratos muttered glumly.

Yuan continued, "Not like they hate half-elves. People get annoyed at things you do wrong, but you won't get taken away for it."

"I don't hate half-elves," Kratos declared. "I like half-elves. Half-elves can do magic and stuff, and Ms Deliani is a half-elf, and she fixed my foot when I fell down a hole. The doctor wouldn't have fixed it for free but Ms Deliani did."

"Then she's stupid and probably dead," Yuan commented. "You don't help humans. If you do, they'll stab you in the back. That's what my dad said, 'cause that's what my brother did and they took him away. Your people took him!"

Kratos didn't know what to say. His heart sank. He dragged his feet over his bed and curled up beneath the covers. He did wrong again. He was always doing wrong.

"I-I'm sorry," he said as he closed his eyes, trying not to think of the home he hadn't left for.

Yuan pretended not to hear it. Kratos pretended he didn't hear Yuan cry.

* * *

In Zelos' lounge, the 'adults' of the group – which included Genis, who wasn't an adult at all but had been overlooked due to the immaturity of Yuan shining a light on just how mature the other half-elven mage could be – were sat under a blanket of heavy silence. Dessert had been consumed once Yuan and Kratos had been put to bed early; the watermelon that Zelos was so fond of had been eaten after that; and Genis had even made some of his legendary cookies for tomorrow with the help of one of the maids.

But nobody had managed to cook up a solution of the problem of what to do with their new charges the next day. Zelos had suggested a number if things that hadn't been well received and had been kicked by Sheena multiple times as a result. Mostly, these consisted of him taking a child with him to wherever he went to impress his hunnies with. Lloyd wanted to leave them under the care of Sebastian to avoid the awkwardness he felt at being physically and mentally older than his father, but Colette worried that it wasn't fair for Sebastian to have to do it on his own. Sheena wanted to take them to Mizuho and have some discipline worked into Yuan, but Regal had pointed out that with the sheer amount of weapons about and the nature of Yuan, it wouldn't be a very Yuan-friendly place and should be avoided if they valued their limbs.

All suggestions, with the exception of Colette's, which was that they should go on a picnic in Iselia and pick flowers for Phaidra, involves palming of the 'children' onto other people, and were consequently vetoed by Genis on the grounds that if Raine found out, she would make his life hell, and probably punish everyone else too.

This had promptly exhausted the flow of viable ideas and now, nobody was feeling particularly upbeat about the task of looking after the little ones – even Zelos.

"Hey, I've got an idea," Zelos stated, for the second time in only a few minutes.

Sheena's eyes narrowed, her toes flexing as she readied herself for the stupid suggestion that was sure to come, after Zelos had graced them all with his bright idea of putting Yuan into the Elemental Research Laboratory and introducing Kratos to his hunnies the last time.

"How about we take the brats to Altamira?" he suggested, leaning forwards on his hands.

"No," Genis instantly responded, returning to the book he held between his hands.

"I didn't mean we take them and leave them there," Zelos clarified. "Though I'm not lying; I did consider it. I thought some of us can take the brats to the amusement park."

"While you're at the beach hitting on innocent women," Sheena finished darkly.

Zelos, once again, raised his hands in mock surrender. "The King is in Altamira at the moment, right? I was thinking some of us could take the brats and the rest can go get the permission to look at the archives from the King. Then my ultra cool, gorgeous beauty will be pleased."

Genis snorted. "You just wanna get back in Raine's good books."

"I must admit," Presea began, "the suggestion of Zelos is quite logical. It would be useful to have access to the royal archives if we are to cure Kratos and Yuan quickly."

"I would actually agree," Regal approved.

"So we're going to Altamira?" Lloyd echoed. "Let's go to the beach while we're there!"

"We can make sandcastles!" Colette realised, bouncing happily on her seat. "This will be so much fun!"

"Exactly, my little angel," Zelos drawled. "See, I'm not just a pretty face. This babysitting thing is a piece of cake with me around."

Genis slapped his forehead with his hand. "Zelos," he groaned. "You're a moron."

"Ouch, brat," Zelos responded in mock hurt. "You won't be saying that when tomorrow rolls around and I've got that book for your most lovely sister."

Genis wasn't the only one who had the feeling that yes, in fact, he would.

**

* * *

**

AN: Okay, I'm sorry this chapter wasn't very light, fluffy and cute, but yeah... I just had to get this out of the way before they go to Altamira in the next chapter, where there will be cuteness and fluff and some humour, which was really lacking in this chapter. Sorry everyone, bear with?

**Anyway, thanks for all the favourites, alerts and fantastic reviews, guys. You really make my day with them; it's great to know what you think even if it is just that you like it enough to keep reading. Equally, if there's anything you think needs changing or doesn't work then please let me know as well and I'll have look and edit it. Also, my laptop has been struggling with the typing and sometimes fails to acknowledge capital letters or skips letters that I'm sure I pressed. I think I got these typos, but if you spot any then I'll get rid of them.**

**Thanks for reading! ^_^ I hope you've enjoyed.**

**~ThePurpleRose**


	3. The Amusement Park Incident

**AN: Here's chapter 3! It's a long one, so I won't ramble here; I'll leave it until later. The piece in italics is a memory – somebody pointed out that the beginning didn't really explain things too well (rightly so – thanks for the help ^_^), so hopefully I've fixed that with this chapter. And the italics like **_'this'_ **are thoughts.**

**I hope you enjoy it!**

**Oh, and bear with the typos; I had the flu when I wrote some of this and was recovering when it was typed. If you spot any, feel free to point it out and I'll fix them.**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own ToS, but I have now got and completed a copy of the game! ^_^**_

* * *

Rides whirred, the sound of their mechanics drowned out by the happy music they played. Children laughed and screamed while parents smiled and chatted, smells of candyfloss, sweets, popcorn, hotdogs and other delectable treats drifting over and among them. An aura of excitement absorbed the whole place. It was only natural.

"AMUSEMENT PARK!" A cry erupted from the group of questionable people entering the park, having come not from one of the four 'children' among them but from Lloyd, who immediately clamped a hand over his mouth and attempted to look like he hadn't said a thing.

Luckily, as Colette laughed and took in the bright sights of the fun to be had, Yuan too had an expression of sheer fascination on his face and was already making a beeline towards the nearest ride, only to be pulled back by Presea. Kratos hovered between the pink-haired girl and Sheena, staring around at the amusement park as if seeing the sun for the first time. The others had all visited the amusement park before, but Genis still focussed on the Ferris-wheel with a look of longing, glad beyond doubt that Zelos had gone to speak with the King using both his and Regal's social pull to find the monarch's location. For once, there wasn't anybody to ruin the possibility of a romantic moment between himself and the axe-wielder.

"What are we going on first, Lloyd?" Colette asked, beaming with the joy of being in the amusement park, the likes of which the Sylvaranti portion of their group had been sadly lacking until recently and hadn't been able to fully experience with the time limit they'd been on for their previous visit.

Lloyd paused to think for a moment before deciding, "Let's go on the teacups! Then we can get some food without having to spin!"

Nobody objected to this and Lloyd launched into action, leading the group to the ride, Presea maintaining her grip on the back of Yuan's simple white shirt, a garment forced upon him by Regal that morning, while Genis stayed close to her, hoping to catch her attention and trying not to blush. Kratos followed Sheena's bouncing bow, keeping his head down as they moved through the crowds.

As they arrived at the end of the queue, still encased in the bustling, morning crowds, Yuan squeezed between a stuttering Genis and the object of his affection as he was released, poking Lloyd squarely in the hip.

"What are those? Ah, cool! They spin! How do they work?" he enquired, his eyes shining at the prospect of being introduced to more magitechnology.

Lloyd started, having never been on the receiving end of such an interrogation. He now understood exactly how Kratos must have felt when he had been teaching him how to be a better swordsman at the beginning of their journey. He wondered how the older man managed.

"Uh, teacups?" he answered. Yuan hadn't even liked him as an adult. It was undeniably weird that they should talk now. But then, his own father was standing only a few feet away at a height that barely grazed his elbow and remembered nothing of being the adult who had been his teacher. If anything about this situation wasn't weird, it would be weird.

This didn't satisfy the miniature half-elf. "What makes them spin? Is it magic? I don't see any half-elves..."

"It's, um, magitechnology," Lloyd stated, fervently hoping that Yuan would leave it there.

There was no such luck. "Yeah, but how? How does that work?"

Lloyd had no idea. He hadn't even known of the existence of magitechnology until his journey. "Sheena?" he called sheepishly. "Explain magitechnology to Yuan please."

Sheena stepped forwards, making her way around Genis and Presea, the former holding a predominantly one-sided conversation with the latter, until she reached the spot where Lloyd stood and Yuan fidgeted at the front of the group.

"Yeah, sure," she responded, choosing to wait until she'd arrived rather than yell over the crowd. As she did so, she remembered something that shattered this philosophy. "Kratos," she yelled, having forgotten about the silent child. "Would you like to know what magitechnology is too?"

She saw Lloyd's eyes widen in horror before she had the time to turn her own head and see something she really hoped she wouldn't have to see. Thin air.

Kratos was gone.

* * *

Raine sighed, burying her face in her hands, her elbows resting on the desk in the guestroom she had been allocated during her stay at Zelos' mansion. She had arrived in Meltokio after Kate had quickly agreed to return the book. Apparently, with her latest research project in the Gaoracchia forest, she hadn't yet had the time to look at it and was more than happy for Raine to have it, provided she shared her findings with Kate once she had studied it, something Raine would definitely enjoy.

Sebastian had been quick to inform her that the group had taken the children out. She was glad about it more than she was worried for them; Regal was with them and not everyone was immature or unobservant, or a mixture of both. Besides, the quiet gave her a chance to translate the ancient document on the desk because it just had to be written in ancient elven when she was in a rush to read it.

Raine hadn't thought she would ever feel this way about having an opportunity to translate such an old, historical text but she had only managed to translate the first page in an hour and a half. And while she knew the key she was making as she spotted common phrases and interesting expressions would speed up the process as she made her way through the book, but it was still irritating to have made such little progress.

And what made it worse was that the section of the text she had read so far consisted only of how the elf had been turned into a child. He had been treated for mana exhaustion after Sylvarant had launched an attack on the elves in an attempt to get their hands on artefacts and fabled mana weapons that they had been convinced the elves were hiding.

The spell the de-aged elf's rescuers had used on him was causing her difficulties but Raine was sure it was similar to the one she had used on their oldest friends, who could now also pass as the youngest. The immediate effects had certainly been the same.

Raine closed her eyes, replaying the scene in her head again to ensure that she hadn't forgotten any important details that could lead her to a breakthrough and comparing it to what she'd just translated. She remembered the two ancient heroes returning with the group after they had used a fascinating mana-transfer technique engineered by Yuan to support the endangered roots of the growing World Tree, which had been struggling to hold the once split worlds together with equal mana bonds.

Kratos had shared Lloyd's rheaird and Yuan had shared hers, the elder half-elf maintaining perfect balance on the back of her rheaird with only one hand to steady himself on her shoulder. She recalled the idea coming to her as he released an exhausted sigh when they landed at the base.

"_I would like to propose a deal," Raine said as the rest of the group continued down the corridor to the canteen, where Yuan had promised there would be a meal waiting for them, and she and the two former members of Cruxis entered the office. _

_Its owner sluggishly ambled over to the chair behind his desk while Kratos staggered to a wall and slid down it, clearly experiencing more balancing problems than his half-elven companion, who fixed a steely gaze on the professor, the human not even making the effort to lift his head._

_Raine continued regardless. "I have come up with a way to ease and possibly cure mana exhaustion without using a mana-transfer technique. Now both of your mana levels are low to that point. So I'm willing to use this new spell to help you."_

"_My mana won't take long to replenish," Yuan protested._

"_Nevertheless, I could make it easier for you," Raine maintained. "And all I ask of you is that you teach me about what the world was like before it was split. You'll feel better and I'll have valuable information on such priceless history; it's perfect!"_

_Yuan opened his mouth to respond but was beaten as Raine continued to present her case. "There is a ninety-nine percent chance this will work," she stated. "I'm more confident about this than I was about being able to cure Clara and that worked fantastically!"_

"_Alright! Alright!" Yuan called in his authoritative, leader-of-the-Renegades voice, which was generally only used on the more persistent of his subordinates, namely Botta. He had yet to find a replacement for his trusty second-in-command and didn't really think he wanted to just yet. But that didn't bear thinking about right now. "I agree to your deal. And I'll agree for Kratos too, since I don't think he's actually conscious right now."_

"_I am," came the delayed response to that. "Do what you will," he permitted slowly._

"_Marvellous!" was Raine's reaction. "I'll need the unicorn horn and you should both stand in the middle of the room so I can direct my mana around you."_

_She pointed to the spot where she wanted them to stand, watching in satisfaction as both obeyed her while she dug the unicorn horn out of her wing pack. Once Kratos had successfully hauled himself off the floor to stand, swaying tiredly, by the exhausted, still form of Yuan, she set the horn between the pair of them with care and instructed them to remain as still as they could._

_Checking they were in position, Raine raised her staff, focussing her mana through the unicorn horn, and began to chant the incantation she had devised earlier that day. "Oh light of mana, shine around these deprived souls and bathe them in your healing glow. Rejuvenate!"_

_Yellow light bathed the room, blocking the two men from Raine's view with a bright dome that covered both, radiating from the unicorn horn in the centre. She shielded her eyes, quietly confident and buzzing with the thrill of executing a new spell with such an extravagant physical effect. It wouldn't be suitable for use in battle, she mused, or use on the field, but she would be able to use it when inside the group's houses or inns and other safe, populated areas._

_The light died down to leave the room feeling strangely dull despite the white lights that illuminated Yuan's ceiling. For a moment, it look to Raine like everything was exactly the same, then Yuan staggered forwards a few steps to his desk, which he used to support himself, his eyes screwed tightly shut. Kratos fell to his knees, his head bowing forwards as his hands rose to hold it. As Raine watched, horrified, he tipped over sideways and lay half on the rug, half on the cold floor, emitting a low groan._

_She rushed over, dropping to her own knees and grasping his shoulder as she readied her mana for a quick healing spell. "Kratos? Are you alright? First aid!"_

_His head lifted as his eyes flickered open but didn't focus on her, seemingly staring into space behind her head. This lasted for barely a couple of seconds before they rolled back into his head, which fell onto the hard floor, harmonising with the loud crash that erupted from the desk._

_Raine's head whipped around just in time to catch Yuan's legs failing as he fell, taking a stack of paper in a metal tray down with him. He struggled, his face set into a painful grimace as he tried to push himself up with his arms, only for them to lose strength moments later. She charged a spell and sent it to him, but it had no effect. It was as if his body was absorbing the mana for a different use. And a minute later, she found out why._

"_Yuan?" she called uncertainly._

_His eyes met hers slowly losing focus, until the light was extinguished in them and they stared blankly before rolling back as his eyelids clamped down and his body became completely limp. She felt rather than saw the swordsman's body go rigid next to her._

_Her attention now on him, she clutched her staff in desperation as his skin took on a yellow glow that slowly intensified and blurred his form. She leaped away from him, closer to the still form of Yuan but unable to take her eyes away from the glowing blurring figure until it became too bright and she shielded her face. It seemed to fade, prompting Raine to lower her arms until it flared up again, this time from a much nearer source._

_Finally, it was over and she opened her eyes, quickly rubbing the green spots from her vision before she could take in the scene. When she did, she rubbed them again._

_Where there had once been two men, there were now two children of around seven years old, swathed in the excess material of their adult clothes but appearing at peace. _

She remembered that their pulses had been normal. They had looked just like ordinary seven year olds, crashed out on the floor after a hard day's playtime. And when she had managed to get some clothes that were hand-me-downs from an older Renegade's son and the Renegade had put the pair into the clothes, they had looked even more like normal children. Even their mana levels and density gave no indication of their true age and size.

It was just as though they had turned back the clock and gone back in time. They didn't even remember being any larger, as had quickly become apparent as the rest of the group had arrived and the 'children' had woken.

All in all, there wasn't much Raine could work with. She only hoped that the rest of the book would hold more clues. After all, if anyone was posed to cure this, it would be her – even if it had never been achieved before.

She would save them, even if she had to invent something new. She had to.

* * *

Kratos ran through the crowds, dodging around people, mascots and stalls alike. He was panting now. He couldn't see where to go. He knew they had come in with the elemental railway that Lloyd had told them about during the trip, but he'd seen the teenager pay to get on it and Kratos didn't have any money. There had to be another way out of the park, there just had to be.

In desperation, the human child slipped through the gap between two food stalls, hoping fervently for something, anything to show him the way. If only Noishe had been allowed to come. Noishe could always find his way and Noishe always helped Kratos. And if Kratos couldn't find his way then he'd never find his sister.

She went to Altamira. He knew she did. She'd promised she'd be there and get a job and that when she had enough money, she'd come back for him. It hadn't been long but he had to see her. He didn't care if she hadn't had enough gald to take him with her. He didn't care if she still didn't have enough gald to take care of him. He could take care of himself. He'd show her. He already worked for the blacksmith. He could get another job here and then he could pay his way like his mother always used to say he should.

He was going to find his sister and he was going to live with her. And it would be just like it was when they were a proper family and his parents both worked and they had food and his mother made him jumpers. And when he started earning enough, he could send gald home and his father would be happy and he would like him.

And maybe, if he was really good, his sister would hug him and she'd read to him and tell him everything would be alright. She'd tell him about the future and how the war would end and how they'd all be happy and nobody would have to go away to war ever again.

Holding on to this thought, Kratos resumed his search. If he didn't find an exit soon, he'd just have to follow the tracks of the railway and swim back to Altamira. He wouldn't give up, for his sister.

* * *

Lloyd's blood ran cold. "Kratos!" He yelled, in case his father was lost nearby. He didn't get a response.

This wasn't good. How could Kratos be gone? He'd been standing next to Sheena and Sheena couldn't have been looking away for more than a minute. And why would he just run away like that? It didn't make sense. His dad was reliable. He was dependable. He would never abandon Lloyd without a very good reason. He didn't think being a child would change the man that much. He didn't even know why Kratos would go anywhere. It was Yuan he'd been warned to watch.

"Lloyd," Colette called, snapping Lloyd out of his panicked thoughts, "What do we do?"

"I'm so sorry," Sheena apologised, "I took my eyes off him. I should have held his hand and brought him with me. I'm sorry everyone. I guess I'm not much of a ninja after all."

"Don't say that!" Lloyd berated. "It could have been any of us. You're our summoner and you're a great ninja. The worlds wouldn't be united without you!" His leader's instincts renewed, the eternal swordsman stated, "Here's what we're gonna do. We'll split up. Presea, you and Genis take Yuan and go that way. Sheena, I think you and Colette should go that way. And I'll go this way. He can't get out of the park so we've got to find him."

"Probability of finding Kratos: 99.8%," Presea reported. "We will find him, Lloyd."

"Presea's right," Genis echoed. "We can do this, Lloyd!"

Lloyd nodded gravely, forcing a smile for his friends. "We'll meet back here in an hour. Let's go!"

And with that, Lloyd hurried away just in time to allow the beginning of Yuan's protests at leaving behind the magitechnology for a human to fade to background noise as he headed for the amusement park's only exit on a gut feeling and nothing more.

'_Dad. What are you doing, Dad?'_

Why would Kratos just leave like that? Something deep within Lloyd was hurt, even though he knew his father didn't remember anything about him. He felt he was somehow to blame for this. If he'd only been paying more attention to Kratos, if he hadn't been so wrapped up in his own awkward feelings about being older than his father, if he hadn't been so selfishly angry that his father wasn't his father any more – then maybe this wouldn't have happened.

Well, Lloyd wasn't going to make the same mistake again. He was going to make an effort with Kratos. Like Genis had said to him earlier that morning, he would think of this as a chance to get to know Kratos better, to learn things about his father that he probably wouldn't have found out if this hadn't happened. It wasn't all bad. He had to remember that. Otherwise, Genis would probably find another, less pain free way of making sure the point sank in.

'_Dad, where are you?'_

Lloyd sighed and was about to curse and turn around as he arrived at the exit to find that his father wasn't waiting to get back, until he spotted something at the water's edge on the far side of the station. Curiosity piqued he moved closer, the shape becoming recognisably auburn.

"Kratos!" he shouted as the figure dropped over the edge into the water. "Kratos!"

Lloyd sprinted through the people milling around, most of whom dodged out of his way, reaching into the water and pulling out a seven year old buy by the back of his shirt, before his heart rate finally started to calm down. The boy coughed and hacked, water spilling from between his lips as Lloyd rubbed his back and a small crowd formed around them.

"What were you doing?" Lloyd demanded angrily and the coughing subsided.

Kratos didn't look in his direction, cringing away as his cheeks burned. He didn't respond, instead screwing his eyes closed in a way that made Lloyd think he was adamant not to receive a punishment.

"I asked you what you were doing," Lloyd repeated, his tone telling the boy how unhappy he was with him.

"I-I'm sorry," the now child stuttered, two fat tears joining the sea water that clung to the skin of his face.

"What were you doing?" Lloyd tried again, this time softening the tone of his voice to omit as much anger as possible, even though he was certain that the tears were purely there in a bid to avoid punishment.

Instead of having the desired effect of stopping the tears, Lloyd's words only intensified them and Kratos practically wailed, "I-I'm s-sorry, s-sir!"

The women of the crowd were mumbling, a man producing a 'Tch' sound as his friend muttered something scathing close by. This wasn't the place to have this conversation.

Lloyd sighed; he still had forty five minutes before he'd arranged to meet the others. "Come here," he said quietly, smiling reassuringly to the miniature swordsman and holding out his arms.

Kratos continued to cry, flinching away from the arms until Lloyd moved closer and pulled him into them, picking the smaller human up with an impromptu hug and ignoring the wetness of the boy's clothes soaking through his own. He carried Kratos away from the crowd, holding him tightly, reassuringly, until they reached a secluded area at the back of the park, where the mascots generally sat drinking coffee while they were recovering from attacks by vicious children on their outfits.

He sat down on the grass by an old picnic table, Kratos still cradled in his lap, the thought crossing his mind that the usually older man had probably held him like this too, though he ignored the irony and the awkwardness that this generated.

"Why are you still crying?" he asked softly. "You aren't in any trouble. I'm not going to punish you."

"I-I'm sorry," the boy apologised weakly, the sound muffled by red material.

"You don't have to be sorry," Lloyd insisted. "You shouldn't have run away like that but you're here now, so it doesn't matter. Now, what were you doing in the water?"

Lloyd didn't think he was going to answer but finally, a small voice piped up with, "I was s-swimming to Altamira."

"You can't swim all the way back to the main resort, D-Kratos," Lloyd laughed, covering his slip of the tongue. "Believe me; I tried it. Colette had to come and get me." He paused. "Why did you want to get back so badly?"

"I wanted to see my sister," Kratos admitted with a loud sniff. "She lives in Altamira, and she said she was coming back for me when she got enough gald. But she doesn't need gald any more 'cause I can work too now, so I wanted to tell her so I could stay with her."

"You wanted to go home," Lloyd mused quietly, it suddenly dawning on him that this wasn't his stoic father and that, for all his silence and stillness, he was still only a seven year old boy.

Kratos shook his head violently.

Lloyd frowned. "You didn't want to go home?"

"I want to see my sister," the child in his lap mumbled forlornly. "I want to see her before I have to go home. And if I see her, I can tell Mother she's okay and then it won't matter if Father gets angry about me being late home because she'll be happy."

Lloyd wished he could tell the boy he'd take him to his sister more than anything. If he had been any other seven year old, Lloyd would have done. He would have used everything he had at his disposal to put a smile on the child's face, to take him to his family. But not this time. Even if Kratos' sister had been in Altamira, Lloyd couldn't take him to see her after four thousand years. He couldn't even take him to her grave, it had been so long.

So Lloyd just hugged the child tighter and told him that nobody would be angry about him being late and that he was sure he could find his sister soon enough, just as soon as they had had this little break and the professor had rejoined them. Kratos seemed to accept this, his little body relaxing into Lloyd's hold, the distraught look on his face melting into a contented, hopeful expression. They sat there for a couple of minutes, Lloyd rocking the seven year old swordsman gently and Kratos nestled into the now sodden red material that the teenager wore, then Lloyd cleared his throat and carefully got to his feet.

Kratos shivered at the sudden change in altitude that brought a breeze into his damp form, prompting Lloyd, who had been about to set him down, to adjust his grip on the boy as he realised that neither of them were dry.

"We need to meet with the others," he stated. "Then we can go get some dry clothes. Would you like me to carry you or would you rather walk?"

"I can walk," Kratos replied quietly, the sound only clear to Lloyd due to the position of the child's head resting on his shoulder.

Lloyd set him down on the ground, the shivering increasing as the warmth of the eternal swordsman drew away from the former Cruxis member, who looked smaller and more fragile than ever with tear tracks on his cheeks and sodden clothes sticking to his bones. Lloyd hadn't realised how slim he was. He considered scooping him back up but changed his mind as he saw the determination in the eyes of the boy as he struggled to still his shivering.

Instead, he reached for Kratos' hand and held it firmly in his own as he lead them back into the main area of the amusement park. He didn't think Kratos would try to slip away again but he might get lost in the crowds and it was better to be safe than sorry anyway – or at least, that's what Raine maintained; Lloyd was more a fan of the 'charge first, think later' approach to dealing with problems. But Raine had been dealing with children for longer so he'd go with her way of thinking. He was the adult here now. He had to be sensible, responsible and reliable.

A smoothie stand caught his attention.

"Hey, Kratos," he suggested, "you fancy something to drink?"

On second thoughts, he had some gald in his wing pack and some time to spare. Why not use it?

* * *

Presea powered towards the designated meeting place, Yuan being dragged behind by the wrist, much to his displeasure and the crowd's amusement, while Genis dawdled behind analysing the throng of people they were passing through for any sign of a small, auburn haired figure.

"OW!" Yuan protested loudly. "Lemme go already! That hurts! If I wanted to go, I'd have gone already! Let me go, you-"

Presea sighed, clamping her hand over his mouth to damp down the torrent of insults inappropriate for children's ears before they could attract mortified stares and incite parents' wraths. It wouldn't be good if they were thrown out of the amusement park before they could find meet the others and hopefully locate Kratos. They were already late because Yuan had insisted on their riding the Ferris wheel and Genis had refused to back her up.

It hadn't taken long and Genis was right in that it had given them a good view of the surrounding area so they could rule out the possibility that Kratos was in the area around the Ferris wheel, but as they had got higher, they hadn't been able to differentiate between people in those below.

This had bothered Presea, who felt like it was wasting time, but Yuan and Genis had enjoyed the entire experience. Yuan had marvelled at the height of the wheel and found out about the magitechnology that made it work, and Genis had finally realised his dream of being on the Ferris wheel with Presea, albeit with Yuan in tow, and he'd been able to explain the principles of magitechnology, with its pros and cons, to an audience that actually seemed interested. In fact, Yuan had been enthralled, and had remained rapt even as Genis delved into the more complicated, technological aspects of the Ferris wheel.

After that, the half-elf had been more than happy to follow them as they had searched for Kratos and they had enjoyed several minutes without protests or curses. If it hadn't been for the constant stream of questions, which Genis readily answered, it would almost have been peaceful. Well, as peaceful as an amusement park full of children could ever have been.

Sadly, this had only lasted as long as the questions did, and as soon as boredom had started to kick in, Yuan had resumed huffing, complaining, dawdling and finally, refusing to move unless they were going on another ride, and having to be dragged by Presea, who was not having any of it.

As far as Presea was concerned, the mission had passed without incident, despite being a failure. Genis had even been too busy with answering Yuan's questions to be nervous around her and they had shared several normal, calm conversations on the whereabouts of their target. Presea was in what she would now call a fairly good mood.

"I want to go on something," Yuan stated firmly, tugging sharply at his captor's arm.

"No," Presea replied simply.

Yuan scowled. "You're really boring for a kid," he muttered darkly as Genis caught up, spying Colette and Sheena by the teacups.

Both the ninja and the Chosen were glancing around anxiously. This and the absence of a smaller figure between them meant only one thing. They hadn't succeeded either. Genis' heart sank and Presea felt her mood shift negatively. Their mission rested entirely on Lloyd now.

Yuan felt no such change at the absence of his companion. "Can we go on that?" he asked, pointing towards the teacups for the second time of the day.

"Not yet," Genis responded monotonously as they reached the two women, who greeted them with a shared worried smile.

"You didn't find him either, did you?" Sheena confirmed glumly, guilt seeping into her tone.

Genis shook his head as Presea pulled Yuan back into the gap between them all by the back of his shirt as he attempted to edge closer to the magitechnology that fascinated him so much.

Sheena sighed, lowering her eyes to her feet.

"Don't worry, Sheena," Colette consoled, patting the ninja's shoulder with a forced smile on her face. "If we haven't found him, Lloyd has. Lloyd's the best finder in the village. He's great at hide-and-seek, isn't he, Genis?"

Genis fixed Colette with an exasperated expression. "Err, yeah. Lloyd's good at finding people." He wasn't good at hiding. Period. As a child, Lloyd had thought that sitting in a shadow or behind a desk could hide him. He only got lucky when it was assumed that nobody in their right mind would go back into the school they had just come out of. It was only his keen eye for finding people that had qualified him for being included in the game at all.

But that was irrelevant. What was relevant was that Lloyd was late, which didn't bode well. If Lloyd was late then he couldn't have found Kratos or he would have been here first to tell them. Genis wondered if they should go out again now, and he wasn't the only one. Sheena had been fidgeting like Yuan as soon as she and Colette had arrived from a fruitless search.

Finally, as even Presea had to shift her weight from foot to foot and Yuan had become bored with expressing his boredom, something too red to be anything other than Lloyd came into view. The group held their breath as it came closer, noticeably transforming into Lloyd's shape.

Relief was present all round, with the exception of Yuan, who, if he cared at all, was hiding it well, as Lloyd jogged up to them, pulling a sodden seven year old along with him.

"Lloyd, you found him!" Colette gushed, throwing her arms around Lloyd then moving on to Kratos, who received the quick hug stiffly and without response.

Presea stepped forwards. "Yes, well done, Lloyd."

Sheena ruffled Kratos' hair once before she stepped back and Genis voiced the second thought that was on everyone's mind.

"Lloyd, why are you both wet?"

**

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**

AN: Okay, here it is. I wanted to cut it to make this chapter shorter, instead of so insanely long, but I couldn't find a place to split it. I've already had to put the beach stuff and Zelos and Regal's bit into the next chapter... I'm sorry if the end seemed a bit rushed. This is 13 pages long in Word. My chapters are normally around 6 pages...

**I strangely enjoyed writing the reverse oyako stuff, but I still think some pieces of this are a little dry. I may have to go back and edit this later on.**

**But yeah, please tell me what you think! Same rules as last time on the constructive criticism. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and those who pointed out little niggles I needed to deal with. You know who you are and you really made my day/ helped me to (hopefully) make this story better.**

**Thanks for reading, and I hope you leave me a review on your way out! ^_^**

**~ ThePurpleRose**


	4. The Altamira Escape

**AN: Wow, what a long wait! Sorry everyone! I finished the original version of this chapter in May 2011 and rewrote all but the first scene of it in July 2011. Then I didn't like it. I've come back to it a few times and changed little bits of it but still didn't like the end result. So today, I decided to rewrite it. And I read it. And decided I'd like to post it relatively as it was before.**

**In the year since I've started writing this fic, my writing style (well everything about my writing) has changed exponentially. But I've decided that instead of trying to push all my fics up to how I write now, I'm just going to leave earlier chapters as they were (unless I really have to change something) and have some fun with this fic.**

**So yeah, I hope you like it! And by the end of the next year, we'll be able to use to see exactly how much my writing has improved/worsened!**

**This chapter is mostly filler. But still, an update is an update right? I will try to update quickly, since this fic is less serious and therefore easier to write than a lot of my others. But I can't make any promises – I have 10 books and a dossier to read this semester. The real world calls. ^.^'**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own ToS. Besides, I am a student now; all you'd get if you sued me would be cereal bars...**_

* * *

Regal basked in the sun as he walked along a silent corridor comprised of floor to ceiling windows and stark white walls. The silence was blissful, a much welcome release from the swearing, attacking and escape attempts from Yuan and the whining of the other young members of the group. Regal could feel the tension in his back just melting away into relaxation.

"Hey beautiful one, how do you like the sun, sea and sand? Have I brightened your holiday?"

Or maybe not.

Regal sighed. "Zelos," he started.

"I'll catch you down by the beach later, hunny," Zelos wished with a wink, leaving the woman alone to catch up to an exasperated Regal. "What's the matter, Pops? We got permission from the King. We've done our job. Now what's wrong with having a little fun?"

"We need to find the others," Regal stated firmly, his face set into a frown. "Then we need to get back to Meltokio to get that book for Raine."

Zelos rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. "Alright, fine. I'm sure my voluptuous hunny, my little angel and the little rosebud have been missing me. Let's hit the amusement park!"

With that, Tethe'alla's Chosen took the lead, leaving Regal to lag behind, wondering why he thought he'd actually drawn the short straw in accompanying the red-head.

"Catch all you hunnies on the beach later!"

"Zelos!" Regal scolded.

* * *

"Naaaaaaawwwww!" Colette squealed, picking up a small pair of swimming trunks decorated with a dog on one leg. "It's got a puppy on it! They'd look so cute in these!"

Sheena blushed, picking up a pair of blue trunks decorated with a shuriken on one side and a red pair with a kunai design.

"I don't think Yuan would like them very much," Genis commented dryly, wondering why he of all people had been forced to accompany the pair into the swimwear shop while Presea and Lloyd got to stay outside, guarding the group's latest additions. Although, the thought of spending another second with Yuan's complaints filling the air around him made him quickly realise that he may, in fact, have chosen the lesser of two evils.

"How about these?" Sheena suggested, presenting the two outfits to her audience. "The blue ones for Yuan and the red ones for Kratos?"

"They'll match! It'll look so sweet!" Colette gushed.

Genis inspected them a little more thoroughly. After all, he would not have been happy if Raine had dressed him in puppy-ridden clothes when he was seven. He should at least extend the same courtesy towards others, even if they weren't really kids and probably could've done with being taken down a peg or two as adults.

"They'll do," he decided with a nonchalant shrug, watching as Sheena dug some gald out of her purse and paid the woman on the till, stashing her prizes into a carrier bag to present to the children they were for.

* * *

Lloyd sighed.

"I'm booorrrreeeddd," came a whine from his left.

Lloyd failed to react at the sharp jab to the ribs he received from that upside down half-elf's foot. He strongly suspected that nobody had taught Yuan how benches were supposed to be used or that if they had, he hadn't been listening to them and had assumed he knew better.

"Stop whinging," was Lloyd's reply to this.

He had never thought he would be using half of the phrases that Dirk had used on him, at least, not this soon anyway. And hadn't thought it would be this annoying. It seemed that what went around really did come around and he was finally beginning to realise just how much Dirk had put up with to raise him. Needless to say, he was feeling more respect towards the dwarf with every passing second and would soon hail him as some kind of child-raising hero.

"But this is soooo boooooring!" Yuan complained, kicking the bench by Lloyd's shoulder.

"Stop it," Lloyd commanded.

Yuan kicked it again, defiantly. "I want to go back to the amusement park," he declared, loudly enough that the little girl whose mother was pulling her away from the ice cream stand stopped and gawped at the insistent half-elf.

Lloyd sent the mother an embarrassed, apologetic look before stating firmly, "We're going to the beach."

He'd already told Yuan at least hundred times why they weren't staying in the amusement park, more than half of that total being when he'd literally had to prise him, with the help of Presea and Sheena, off of the elemental railway.

It hadn't been difficult to get the technology loving half-elf on the elemental railway, but he hadn't been too willing to get off it once he'd realised they had returned to what he called 'the boring bit' of the city. Lloyd would have been lying if he'd said he hadn't wished Regal or Kratos, the adult one, was there.

There had been a substantial amount of cursing, much kicking, constant screaming and several punches before Lloyd had managed to throw the boy over his shoulder, only to be bitten, sharp teeth most likely leaving a mark through his clothes, as Yuan had decided that the action could possibly lead to his freedom. Lloyd didn't think he'd been on the receiving end of that many accusing stares in his life, or avoided quite so widely.

He had almost wanted to give in to the pint-sized pain's demands, but the sight of Kratos' shivering shoulders had hardened his resolve. They had to leave so that Kratos could get into some dry clothes before he caught a cold. The elemental railway cost money. So did clothes. It made sense to kill two monsters with one demon fang and buy the children swimming trunks, thus cutting the cost of clothes they wouldn't need once they were back in their big bodies by simply buying them one item each while also getting free entertainment at the beach while they were at it. It made sense. Everyone had agreed with that idea.

Except Yuan.

"When can we go?" Yuan asked with a huff, giving the bench another sulky kick.

"When the others get back with your swim stuff," Lloyd answered monotonously, glancing over to the other child. Kratos sat close by his other side, huddled in a towel that smelt of leather and staring blankly at the ground. The stark shade of the towel contrasted with his pale skin and made him appear even smaller than he was.

Yuan on the hand, had spread himself out with his legs resting along the back of the bench and one foot sticking straight up in the air. His body curved along the seat so that his head was by Lloyd's thigh and he could look up at both the swordsman and the steadily greying sky. His shirt had come untucked, exposing half of his belly to the mild Altamira air. If Kratos looked like a rich girl's porcelain doll, Yuan looked like a boy's toy monkey.

"When will that be?" Yuan queried, swinging his leg around to get back into an upright position. He narrowly avoided kicking Presea, who stood guard at his other side, in the face. Lloyd wondered whether he would have been disappointed with this had he noticed it.

"I would estimate only a few more minutes," Presea reported, "considering that Genis has accompanied them, not considering the possibility of a queue."

Yuan was silent for a moment, until, "I'm bored."

Lloyd was beginning to wonder if the miniature mage was ever not bored unless he was torturing innocent people or obsessing over innocent machinery. He rubbed his bitten shoulder with a scowl. He hadn't liked the half-elf much as an adult. He couldn't say he was particularly fond of the child version either.

This outlook only worsened as Yuan prodded one bony finger into his ribs three times in quick succession, jerking it away just in time to avoid Lloyd catching said digit, with the declaration of; "I'm hungry."

Lloyd knew what this was. It was karma for using Dirk's shoe to shovel mud when he was eight, and the time he'd eaten Genis' lunch and blamed it on Noishe. He closed his eyes, praying to whatever deity there really was for forgiveness.

"You can wait until the others get back," he responded stiffly.

Yuan huffed, folding his arms and engaging a sulky pout. "But I don't wan-"

"Here they come," Presea observed.

Colette practically skipped over to the four figures on the bench, a carrier bag swinging happily by her knee as Sheena and Genis followed at a much more leisurely pace. When she reached them, the Chosen of Mana presented their red-clad leader with the bag, dropping it onto his lap with the prompt of, "Look what Sheena picked out, Lloyd!"

Lloyd however, didn't get the chance to look before the bag was roughly yet quickly swiped out of his hands by Yuan, the half-elf immediately beginning to rifle through it with the loud complaint of, "There isn't any food in here!"

"Yuan!" Lloyd exclaimed, reaching for the bag, "You don't snatch things!"

"Yeah, that isn't very nice, Yuan," Colette echoed.

Presea merely fixed him with a withering look, commanding, "Apologise."

Yuan did no such thing, leaping to his feet on the bench, with the bag held just out of Lloyd's reach. The eternal swordsman abandoned the bag in favour of tackling the child. But Yuan was one step ahead. As Lloyd moved to detain him, the Lilliputian Renegade leader launched himself off the bench and dodged around the figures of Sheena and Genis, who were just arriving.

Freedom was so close he could taste it. He was much better at escaping than the pathetic human boy they'd had to split up and locate. He wouldn't have been caught if he'd escaped. He was Yuan; he was a half-elf, a mana master: stealth extraordinaire. Nobody could catch him!

He ignored the furious shout of "YUAN!" and Colette's worried pleading, weaving between startled tourists and bunny ladies alike, laughing freely. Not only had he escaped, but he'd escaped with something he could sell off for money and food. He was practically home and dry.

Until he ran into a wall and bounced off it to be caught in its vice-like grip.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Regal's stern face stared disapprovingly down at him. Yuan swore furiously, lashing out at Zelos as the red-head, who was laughing hysterically at the fact that Yuan had run right into Regal, attempted to prise Yuan's prize from his little fingers.

Sheena and Lloyd had appeared within moments, the ninja looking relieved while the swordsman's face was getting almost as red as his outfit as he opened his mouth to say something.

He was beaten to it by Colette, who was hurrying towards them. "Regal! You caught him!" She bustled over, squeezing past the frazzled Lloyd to stare the struggling Yuan in the face. "Yuan," she said, shaking her head in disappointment. "It isn't very nice to steal things or run away. You make people worried. I think you should say sorry to everyone for making them worry."

Yuan scowled. Everyone else there stared in amazement. Colette was scolding Yuan. Colette, who only ever apologised for things she had and hadn't done as well as things others had done that she felt she should apologise for, which was pretty much everything. Colette, who was quite clearly not even close to adulthood and who enjoyed childish things like chasing butterflies and cuddling puppies. Their Colette had told someone like Yuan, who was quite clearly crazy, to apologise for his own actions instead of apologising for him.

And Yuan, in response to this, mumbled, "Sorry."

Zelos shook his head. This day couldn't possibly get any weirder.

"There," Colette said, smiling widely and ruffling Yuan's hair, much to the half-elf's obvious distaste. "That wasn't so hard and it's all better now. Now we can go to the beach!"

"Sorry, my little angel," Zelos began, disappointment evident on his face. "No can do."

Any traces of adult and motherliness in Colette disappeared there and then. "What? Why?" she wondered, sadly.

"The jellyfish net is down," Regal stated, unimpressed by the fact. "The beach will be closed for the rest of the day while it is restored and any monsters are eliminated. Although looking at the sky, I doubt you would've had much of an afternoon anyway."

Sheena sighed, staring up at the uncharacteristic, grey clouds rolling over them. "What are we going to do now then?"

"Well the Old Timer and I have got a special delivery to make," Zelos announced. "So you'll just have to keep the brats entertained for the rest of the day."

"I guess we could go back to the amusement park," Lloyd mused.

"YES!" Yuan contributed, squirming in Regal's grip to be free, this time not to escape but to follow the group to where the magitechnology was. "Lemme go! I won't run, I swear!"

Regal looked unconvinced, but released him all the same, his eyes trained on the wannabe escapist just in case he changed his mind. Yuan's word hardly seemed trustworthy as an adult, when his reasons were somewhat understandable. As a child, he was volatile at best.

Yuan glared back at him as if sizing him up, only for his facade of toughness to be broken as his stomach growled and gurgled. He did his best to ignore it, gripping his sides threateningly like he could force his stomach into submission, but the people around him remained unaffected.

Lloyd rubbed at the back of his neck. "Okay, so food first then, yeah?" he decided looking around at the sea of approving faces.

With that agreed, he turned and began to lead the way to back to Genis, Kratos and Presea, only to be stopped by Zelos' drawl of, "Say, Bud? Why's your front so wet?"

* * *

Raine sighed, running a hand through her hair with a low groan as she leaned back in her seat. Said hand rubbed at her tired eyes before she forced herself to go back to the book at the table. She really hadn't made much progress. It had taken her the whole day to translate fifty pages and though she'd built up much more understanding of how this had occurred and even began to think about the obvious solution, she could do nothing to reverse the damage she'd caused until she knew what the elves had tried on their victim.

She could quite easily think about a counter spell but she was certain that the elves would have come to that exact conclusion, and much quicker than she had, and the book had mentioned that there had been many failed attempts at a cure on the very first page. So that instantly discounted any simple solutions and Raine couldn't condone trying anything that could potentially cause more damage.

A knock at the door made her jump. She opened her mouth to speak but the visitor didn't wait for an invitation and the door has swung open in a wide arc before she'd had time to sound a syllable.

"Zelos?" she exclaimed.

Zelos grinned, presenting a red leather bound book with golden pages and shimmering gold lettering down the spine. "One special book, the King's copy," he reported.

Raine raised one eyebrow as a thoroughly miffed looking Regal arrived in the doorway, water dripping from his fringe. "And this is the second part of the study?"

"Yup," Zelos replied, edging away from Regal into the room. "Brought your way before you even had to wait for it."

"Zelos," Regal began.

Zelos rapidly cut him off. "So, my bewitching professor, is there anything else the Great Zelos can do for you or can I get back to the brats?"

Regal sighed, suppressing the urge to rub at his temples. Managing the Lezareno Company was much less stressful than dealing with Zelos. He would actually much rather have been at his desk right then than standing in the same mansion as the philanderer.

"Zelos, we won't be going anywhere," he stated. "Look outside."

Zelos did, only to see rolling black clouds, a torrent of rain and a flash of lightning strike just outside the city. "Aw, man!" he complained.

Regal elaborated, "Were you not listening to the guard in the archives? It started to rain as soon as you rushed in and left me to put away your rheaird. The merging of the two worlds has created a mana current, with the different densities of mana converging on each other and being forced away from the seals and the Otherworldly Gate."

"Yeah, I know," Zelos dismissed, taking himself over to Raine's bed a flopping down on it with a scowl. "That's what's causing monsters to gather."

"Exactly," Raine praised, turning to Regal with a frown. "Then this storm is actually down to the different mana being forced together at the current line. Fascinating!"

"Okay, then when is the freaky storm gonna be over?" Zelos asked, directing the question more to Regal than to Raine who was alternating between staring out of the window wistfully and studying the book that was open in front of her.

"Well, from what the guard told me," Regal mused, "the centre of the storm is the Otherworldly gate, so it will be a while before we can fly the Rheairds to Altamira or the others can fly here; the mana charge would short out their circuits."

Zelos sighed. "I guess I'd better tell Sebastian we'll be wanting breakfast..." he mumbled, sitting up on the bed, ready to leave as Regal moved over to the window and stared into the mounting storm.

A frown grew on his face. "I only hope the others can handle the little ones in this."

* * *

**AN: Yeah, apologies for the rubbishness. Next chapter is already better than this. This one's a bit of a filler, setting everything up for the next chapter. I hope you can forgive me for its fillerness. Also, the escaping does finish soon, I promise. Yuan just has to one-up Kratos...**

**But yeah, thanks to all the reviewers.**

**And thanks for reading!**

**~ThePurpleRose**


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